Wilhelm



Feb. 28, 1956 1. WILHELM BUILDING BLOCK Filed July 3. 1952 INVENTORUnited States Patent 1A BUILDING BLOCK John Wilhelm, Cambridge, OhioApplication July 3, 1952, Serial No. 296,989

' 1 claim. (ci. 7z-41) This invention relates to a building block andmore particularly and specifically to a composite interlocking,ventilated building block from which a wall can be built without the useof mortar or other bonding agent.

An object of the invention is the provision of an interlocking buildingblock which with other similar blocks is self-aligning and so simpliiiesthe construction of a wall that walls can be built quickly and correctlyby amateurs.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an interlockingbuilding block from which a wall can be built without the use of mortaror other bonding agent.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a compositebuilding block composed of a new and improved composition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a building blockwhich in addition to interlocking with other similar blocks is providedwith an insertable and removable locking key.

v `Other objects, advantages and improvements of the block will appearfrom the following description when read in the light of theaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved block.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking inthe direction indicated by arrows.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 lookingin the direction indicated by arrows.

Cil

The present improved block is for use in the construction of walls andthe interlocking of the blocks is such that the use of mortar or otherbonding means is eliminated. The blocks are cast or molded in a singlepiece and their lengths and widths are preferably similar to that ofcurrently used cement or cinder blocks so that the present blocks willtit into current methods and manners of construction.

The blocks have comparatively thin wall sections but nevertheless havesuticient strength due to the material of which they are composed. Thematerial comprising the blocks will consist of an inert filler whichcould be one of several inert materials, such as asbestos, and includefrom ten per cent to fteen per cent phenolformaldehyde resin or asimilar bonding or polymerizating resin. The blocks are molded in metalmolds under extremely high pressure, two to four tons per inch, andunder heated conditions. This composition and process will produce ablock that is strong, comparatively light in weight and dirnensionallyexact.

A wall or structure composed of these blocks is moisture-proof due tothe material of which the blocks are formed and due to the nature of theinterlocking engagement of the blocks. The block construction is such,as will later appear, as to provide a ventilated wall. The blocks are soshaped that when incorporated into a wall the outer face of the wallpresents a weatherboarding elect.

Each block is substantially rectangular of shape and is hollow. In broadterms the block comprises a front wall ICC designated as an entirety byA and a rear wall designated as an entirety by B which are disposed inspaced and substantially parallel relationship by three transverselyextending ribs 1, 2 and 3 the tops 4, 5, and 6 of which stop short ofthe tops of the front and rear walls and the bottoms 7 of which stopshort of the bottom edges of the front and rear walls. This specificconstruction of rib provides for' horizontal ventilation in the wall, aswill later appear, while vertical ventilation is obtained through thespaces between the block ribs.

The front or outer face 8 of the front wall is tapered downwardly andoutwardly from its upper end so that this face is disposed on aninclination to the vertical. The front wall in its upper edge isprovided throughout its length with a longitudinally extending keyway9and its bottom edge is provided with a similar keyway V10. Above thekeyway 9 and at each side thereof are longitudinally extending shoulders11 and 12. A `ilang'e 13 extends throughout thelength of the shoulder12.

Adjacent the keyway 10 and at eachside thereof are shoulders 14 and 15.The front face 8 of the block extends downwardly beyond the shoulder 14to provide throughout the length of the shoulder a flange 16. Alongitudinally extending shoulder 17 extends along the rear side of theshoulder 15 and is disposed inwardly thereof with the result that theshoulder 15 is in reality both a shoulder and a flange.

The rear wall B of the block is provided in its upper end with a keyway18 and in its lower end with a keyway 19. Shoulders 20 and 21 are at theopposite sides of the keyway 18 and a ilange 22 extends throughout thelength of the shoulder 20 at the inner side thereof. Shoulders 23 and 24areat the opposite sides of the keyway 19. A longitudinally extendingshoulder 25, similar to the previously described shoulder 17, is at theinner side of the shoulder 24 to make the shoulder in reality a flange.

The keyways 9 and 10 of the block front wall are joined by verticalkeyways 26 and 27. The left-hand end of the front wall is provided witha vertically extending seat or shoulder 28 while the right-hand end ofthe front wall is provided with a ilange 29.

The rear wall B has its keyways 18 and 19 connected at their ends byvertically extending keyways 30 and 31. At its left-hand end this wallis provided with a seat or shoulder 32 while at its right end there isan outwardly extending flange 33.

The manner in which the blocks interlock in the building of a wall isillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be seen, Fig. 3, that keys 34 and3S are disposed in the keyways made by the aligned keyways in the upperand lower ends of the front and rear walls of the blocks when the blocksare arranged in superposed relationship. These keys can be made ofMasonite or any other suitable material having sufficient strength anddurability. These keys lock the blocks against movement in a horizontaldirection but the blocks are further locked against movement in thisdirection due to the fact that the anges 13 and 22 seat respectively onthe shoulders 17 and 25. The combination of these plus the flanges inaddition to holding the blocks against movement provides a weather-proofjoint which is further weather-proofed due to the fact that the shoulder11 of the lower block seats on the shoulder 14 in the lower end of theouter face of the upper block. This places the upper end of the outerface of the lower block inward in respect to the outer face of the lowerend of the upper block thus producing the weatherboarding effectpreviously referred to.

The interlocking connection of the adjacent and abutting vertical edgesof a pair of blocks in a wall appears in Fig. 4. Here it will be seenthat the keys 36 and 37 are disposed in the keyways provided by thealigned key- 3 ways 26 and 27 of the front walls and 30 and 31 of therear walls of the blocks. The flanges 29 and 33 of one block seat on theshoulders y28 and 32 of the other block. rThe keys together with theilanges being disposed on the shoulders hold the blocks against movementand provide a weather-proof joint.

Vertical ventilation in the wall is had through the aligned openings 38,39 and 40 between the block ribs while horizontal ventilation isobtained through the space 41 which exists between each course of blocksdue to the fact that the block ribs stop short of the tops and bottomsof the block walls.

By the use of the block a weatherproof wall can be quickly built even byan amateur and speed of erection as well as reduction in cost isobtained by the elimination of theuse of mortar or its equivalent.

The block illustrated and described discloses the basic concept butslight variations in the block construction can be made to providecorner blocks for a wall; blocks to be used between windows or betweenwindows and a door; blocks used at the bottom of a wall opening; blocksto be used at sides and tops of wall openings; and blocks designed toallow the use of either wood or steel door and window frames. in otherwords slight modification of the block as illustrated and described willpermit the use of the blocks to accommodate any condition encountered inbuilding a wall or a house or the like.

Accordingly departures from the precise and specific constructionillustrated can be made without departing from the inventive concept andthe invention is'accordingly to be limited only by the scope of thehereinafter following claim.

What I claim is:

A building block comprising, a front wall and a rear wall spacedtherefrom, spaced ribs interconnecting the walls, a ange extendinglongitudinally of the inner upper edge of the front wall and a similarflange at the inner upper edge of the rear wall, a wide shoulderadjacent each of said anges extending throughout the lengths thereof, aflange at the lower front edge of the front Wall'and extendingthroughout the length thereof, a wide shoulder behind said flange andextending throughout the length thereof, a narrow shoulder behind saidwide shoulder and extending throughout the length thereof, a narrowshoulder extending throughout the length of the inner lower edge of therear wall, a wide ange behind said shoulder, a longitudinally extendingkeyway extending throughout the length of both of the shoulders at theupper edges of the front and rear walls, a keyway extending throughoutthe length of the wide shoulder at the bottom edge of the front wall anda similar keyway in the wide flange at the lower edge of the rear wall,the opposed ends of the front and rear walls at one end of the blockbeing provided at their inner edges with vertically extending flangesand each having a wide shoulder adjacent its respective ange, theopposite opposed ends of the front and rear walls of the block eachbeing provided at its inner edge with a vertically extending narrowshoulder and each having adjacent said narrow shoulder a wide flange,each of the vertically extending wide shoulders and each of thevertically extending wide ange's being provided with verticallyextending keyways, said wall flanges adapted to seat on shoulders of asimilarly constructed block in the erection of a wall, said keywaysadapted to receive insertable keys extending horizontally and verticallyin respect to the blocks of a wall, the parts operating as and for thepurpose described.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS891,495 Loy June 23, 1908 1,171,191 Gronert et al. Feb. 8, 19162,107,691 Corser Feb. 8, 1938 2,433,149 Overacker Dec. 23, 19472,539,868 Schultz Jan. 30, 1951

